Needle-loom



H. R. PARKER.

NEEDLE LOOM.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 24, 19x9.

Patented Apr. 20, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

altmwu H. R. PARKER.

NEEDLE LOOM.

1,337,259 APPLICATION FILED MAY 24, 19l9- Apr. 20

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

MW HIW" IH lvwzutoa Henry H. Perk:

being located below said aperture.

HENRY R. PARKER, OF NORRI'STOWN, PENNSYLVANIA.

NEEDLE-LOO1VL Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 20, 1920.

Application filed May 24, 1919. Serial No. 299,606.

To all whom z'tmay concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY R. PARKER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Norristown, in the county of Montgomery and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Nee" dle-Looms, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to looms of the type in which the weft or filler thread is carried across the warp threads by a needle and retained by a selvage thread, and my object is to provide improved means for forming the shed and laying the weft whereby increased speed of operation may be attained with a consequent increased output. My invention is fully described in connection with the accompanying drawings illustrating an embodiment thereof and the novel features are pointed out in the claims.

Figure 1 is a plan view of a loom mechanism indicating the application of my improvements, features of construction notinvolving my present invention being omitted.

Fig. 2 is a partial side elevation of the same.

Figs. 3 and t are sectional elevations on the lines 3-3 and 1-4 respectively of Fig. 1, looking in the directions indicated by the arrows.

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4.

As shown in the drawings 1 represents the loom table having an aperture 2 (Fig. 1) for the passage of the warp threads 3 and of the subsequently woven fabric; the'shcd crossing being located above sai'daperture and a properly driven take-up and winding roll & At a proper distance above said aperture and'supported in the end walls 7 and S of the loom frame, is a shaft 10, upon which are rock ingly mounted warp-thread guide plates 11.

having tapered portions 12 depending toward said aperture.

Each of these guide plates is made of thin sheet material formed with gear teeth 13 on the concentric outer edge thereof to one side of said supporting shaft 10. and they are strung upon said shaft alternately right and left so as to form reverselv rocking series. Separating disks 14 may be employed between the guides as determined by the thickness of warp threads used. and end collars 15 secure the alined plates in freely movable relation upon the shaft 10. Each guide plate 11 has an eye 16 formed in the depending portion 12 the eyes of different plates being located out of alinenient as shown to prevent friction between adjacent warp threads. These warp threads 3, are strung through said eyes 16 and carried through the aperture 2 to the feed roll 1.

Spaced on each side of the shaft 10 are rock shafts 20 and 21 mounted in hearings in the end walls 7 and 8, and each shaft carries a quadrant gear, 22 and 23 respectively, meshing with the teeth 13 of alternate guide plates on shaft 10. These gears 22 and 23 are rocked to reversely swing the two series of alternately arranged guides to-and-fro across the aperture 2, so as to form a shed of the warp threads for each rocking movement. Crank arms 2% and 25 on said shafts 20 and 21 are connected by links 26 and 27 to gears 28 and 29 rotatably supported in bearings on'the end wall 7. said gears meshing with a gear 30 on the main power driven shaft 31.

The main shaft 31 also carries a bevel gear driving a gear 33 supported in a bearing in the table 1 and having a shaft crank arm 34- below said table. This crank is connected by a link 35 to a post 36 secured to a weft or filler thread needle 37. This needle is mounted in a bearing 10 secured to the upper side of the table 1. and is arranged to slide lengthwise above the aperture 2 and through ,the shed formed by the warp threads a slotted opening 41 in said bearing being provided in which the post 36 is movably engaged.

The needle is formed hollow. as shown. to provide an inclosing passage-way for the filler thread. and its projected end is forkshaped as indicated at 35; the filler thread extending through the hollow needle from a suitable source of supply, and through the apertured forked end and being delivered between the warp threads above the aperture 2 to be woven into th e fabric. The crank 31. through its link actuates the needle with a to-and-fro movement across each slied formed by the oscillating guide plates 1111. the forked end of the needle carrying the weft thread across the shed in reverse directions, with the bend of said thread engaged by a selvage thread. the next move ment of the guide plates in forming a new shed serving to lock it in the fabric.

The selvage shuttle mechanism consists of a shuttle carrying a thread bobbin as usual, and pointed at both ends, as shown, so as to readily pass through the forked end 45 of the needle 37 when the latter is in projected position, so that the thread from said shuttle will engage all the weft loops formed by the reciprocating needle. The shuttle 50 is carried by a slide plate 55 mounted in a guide track 58 secured to the table 1, and is loosely retained in a socket 57 secured to said slide plate by a slide strip 56 arranged parallel to the track 58. A link 61 connectssaid plate 55 to the cranked shaft suitably mounted in the end walls 7 and 8, and said shaft is driven by gearing connecting it with the main shaft 31, through gear 28, as shown.

It will be understood of course that each warp thread as well as the weft or filler thread is supplied from a spool or spindle conveniently located and that the usual take-up and tension devices for said threads are employed, as well as a beater mechanism, none of which are indicated in the drawings as they form no part of the present invention.

From the foregoing description the operation will be readily understood: The main shaft 31, driven in any convenient manner, drives the rock shafts 20 and 21 to rerersely oscillate the two series of alternately arranged guide plates 11-11 so as to swing them across each other over the aperture 2 and cause the warp threads passing through the eyes 16 of said guides to form the sheds for the weft needle 37. This needle is actuated to carry the thread through each shed formed and the shuttle 50 is timed to pass the projected needle and engage its thread with the loops of the weft threads, which are woven into the fabric by the forming of the next shed.

With my improved shed forn'iing mechanism and cooperating needle and shuttle driven by meshing and timed gears, increased speed is permitted due to the positively swung guide plates which have only a small arc of travel and consequently can be quickly reversed to form each shed. The hollow needle also guards the weft thread against undue friction with the warp threads so as to permit of quicker move-- ment of the needle, and its forked end readily permits the shuttle to pass through the loop held thereon with reliability as to engaging the latter.

The drawing indicates only enough guide plates for a comparatively narrow fabric,

but wider fabrics may be made with the addition of more plates, and the thickness or spacing of the plates may be varied to suit the yarn employed, while the location of the eyes 16 out of alinement in adjacent plates prevents possible shearing action on the warp threads.

What I claim is 1. In a loom, a shed forming mechanism comprising a series of pivotally mounted warp thread carrier plates each provided with a warp thread guide way, and means for intermittently rocking alternate plates of said series in one direction and the inter- -vening plates in reverse direction to form the sheds.

'2. In a loom, a shed forming mechanism comprising a series of pivotally mounted warp thread carrier plates spread apart to correspond with the required spacing of said threads and having guide ways for the respective threads located at different distances from the pivotal center in adjacent plates, and means for intermittently rocking alternate plates of said series in one direction and the intervening plates in reverse direction'to form the sheds.

3. In a loom, a shed forming mechanism comprising a series of warp thread carrier guide plates pivotally mounted upon a common axis and having concentric toothed portions located alternately to one side and the other of said' axis, and gears in mesh with said toothed plates.

4. In a loom, the combination with a series of pivotally mounted warp thread carrier plates each provided with a warp thread guide way and means for intermittently rocking alternate plates of said series in reverse directions to form the sheds. of a forked-end weft thread needle and means for reciprocatively actuating the same through each shed, and a reciprocatively operated selvage thread shuttle adapted to pass through the forked end of the projected needle.

5. In a loom having shed forming mechanism and a selvage-thread shuttle mechanism, a hollow weft thread needle having a fork-shaped end provided with thread guide apertures, and means for reciprocatively operating said needle.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

HENRY R. PARKER.

lVitness DAVID L. MAonoNALn. 

